I talked yesterday about my testing with the Viliv S10 and my 24w solar panel. Today I’ve implemented the solution as my desktop PC.

Previously (for the last 5 months) I had been using a Fujitsu U820 UMPC as my desktop. It was running Windows XP on a Intel Atom 1.6 CPU. The Viliv S10 is running Windows 7 Home Starter on the same Atom 1.6 CPU. Both solutions use a fast SSD. You can see that I have it set up to drive an external monitor, mouse and keyboard but I’m still using the screen on the S10 as an extended monitor. With the extended screen, Windows 7, quieter operation and a better USB solution (the USB bus on the U820 would often reset causing a keyboard and mouse lock-up) this is a better working solution than I had before.

Cont’d…

The 24W solar panel is only powering the screen but at 0937 this morning I was surprised to see it charging the running S10. At that rate I have the opportunity to get 6 hours charging out of this July sun meaning a full charge per day; enough for 8 hours usage in this set-up. The problem is that I lose the sun behind a tree and the side of the house at about 1300 hrs. I need to get the panel on the roof to solve that issue.

I’ve ordered a Turnigy watt-meter that I’ll use to measure power utilization so check back for results some time in August because in a few days I’m off on holiday!

Note on my PC usage: I work mainly within the browser using cloud-based applications like Gmail, Google Docs and iTweet. I use Windows Live writer as my main publishing tool and sometimes use Tweetdeck for some Twitter work. It’s a simple set-up that needs very little processing power.

Update: The Interview on Home Of Solar Energy is available here.

I mentioned the Viliv S10 in an article about solar-powered computers for 2010 and it turns out that it has the same 9.5v input as the Viliv X70 tablet. Having an input voltage below 12V is always an advantage and it’s even better when the X70 car adaptor works on the S10. I threw out the panel, connected it to the car adaptor and S10 and we’re away. I now have a 3G-capable, Windows 7 convertible netbook running directly from the sun.

I’ve added an extension cable and the S10 is now sitting on my desk with the solar panel outside. I’ll be giving this a long-term test to see how much sun is needed to get by when using 3G. I’m estimating that 5 sun hours will give me 10 hours of usage which means that, given we only have 4 full-sun hours per day and that cloud cover is guaranteed for 50% of the year, I will get about 4 hours per day out of the solution. It’s terribly inefficient to charge like this though. The S10 sucks just 2-3 7-10W when charging. The rest of the power produced by the panel is being wasted so I’ll put my lead-acid battery in-line to suck up the rest of the juice.

Advantages of the S10:

• Built-in 3G, Wifi, Bluetooth
• SSD (fast, silent, no spinning hard disk)
• Convertible Touchscreen (for flexibility)
• Ultra low power (10 hours on a 47wh battery that should charge in one sunny day)
• Great keyboard, SD card slot
• At 1.2KG, lightweight for a netbook
• Because of car adaptor, doesn’t require intermediate regulator or battery.

Disadvantages

• Hinge could be a weak point
• No daylight screen (as on virtually every other device)
• Relatively expensive compared to netbooks (Total solution, including solar panel, would cost about $1000)

I’m off on holiday next week but will do some testing when I get back in the first week of August. Note: Direct charging of PCs from solar panels without a regulator and buffer battery can damage your PC if not set-up and tested correctly.

The Compaq AirLife 100 is basically a smartphone cased in a netbook housing with a 10″ touchscreen and an estimated 30wh battery. The operating system is Android which has a great browser (although not as good or fast as Firefox or Chrome would be on the S10) and the ability to run many Android applications. The build quality is good, the keyboard is good and with 3G and Wifi built-in, connectivity is also good but the fantastic thing about this one is that it can idle with the screen off for DAYS instead of hours. In theory (untested) this little baby could run, connected to GPRS data providing 30-second GPS (built-in) location updates and polling email or similar services for about 3 days on a single charge. To top it off, it’s even more efficient than the S10 when running at full steam AND it weighs about 25% LESS!

With a 16GB SSD topping off the specs you’ve got a great lightweight, semi-rugged possibility.

• Est. 10 hours connected use (screen on, 3G on)
• Est. 150 hours occasional automatic GPS location uploads via cellular data.
• Est. 20 hours low-backlight typing. (wifi, 3G off)
• Add a 60wh power pack and if you’re careful with back-light and connectivity, you’ll get a weeks work out of it….in about 1.3KG!

This isn’t going to be the fastest productivty device you’ve ever used but if efficiency is more important than processing speed, the Airlife 100 will take some beating.

The Airlife 100 is due in the Spring and i’m quite excited to test it out longer term.

Check out my hands-on with the device at MWC last week:

It doesn’t stop me thinking about solar computing though and in this post I’m going to compare a set of devices and some technologies that will be important for the job of Solar PC 2010.

Before I do that I want to highlight a few things that really haven’t changed much in the last 3 years. It’s a sad story of minimal progress.

• Solar panels – NOTHING has changed. They’re still expensive and inefficient.
• Battery Tech – NOTHING has change. They are still expensive and use the same technology as before.
• Operating system choice – Nothing has really changed. If you want to work efficiently you need to choose the same OS as you use on the desktop. Mobile operating systems have come a long way but there are still too many potential roadblocks for the average productivity user. Windows 7 is nice but compared to XP it’s less efficient which in my book, makes it the best choice for efficient and productive mobile computing.
• Screen technology. Outdoor users are still fighting the sun with LED backlights although this is a great step forward from the CCFL backlighting I used in 2007. Transflective screens are coming in 2010 though. See below.
• Weather – Ah, there’s something that hasn’t changed much either! Still, constant chaos. (Thank goodness!)

The device shortlist.

Click for more information.

Luckily the computing platforms have moved on somewhat and along with better engineering and components so there are some great contenders out there. Lets take a closer look at the best ones under 1KG. From top left in the images above:

• Viliv X70
• UMID BZ
• Fujitsu U820
• Fujitsu UH900
• ASUS EeePC T91
• Viliv S5
• Viliv S7
• Sony Vaio P-Series

Viliv appears three times in that list and is shows that they’ve done a great job of working around the Intel Menlow platform and producing some amazingly high-quality and efficient UMPCs that are focused on mobile productivity. Take the S7 for example. It has an excellent keyboard, SSD hard drive (rugged) and convertible touchscreen and comes with a built-in 3G option. The 34wh battery can last for 6-9hrs depending on usage. The tiny BZ is even more efficient though. The 17wh battery lasts for 5hrs…online and it comes with an external battery charger adaptor for 9V charging.

ARM-based devices.

You’ll notice that I haven’t included a single ARM-based device or ‘smartbook’ in the list above and the reason is simple. There aren’t any productivity-focused devices available. You might think that the ‘cloud’ provides the answer but the cloud is a long way away from being a mobile solution right now so despite the increased efficiency of ARM-based tablets and notebooks, I’m afraid it’s not a solution for the main computing device. For a smartphone though, yes! It’s the only solution.

Waiting for the screen.

My problem with all of the above solutions now is that I’m aware of two technologies that are close to hitting the market in 2010. Both Pixel-Qi and Mirasol have solutions that can save a lot of power when in high ambient light situations. Up to 1.5W in sunlight on a netbook-sized device. That’s a huge saving in a device that might be using only 6W. A 25% saving is huge and also helps to keep things cool in the device which helps other components too!

The advantage is so, so great that I’d hesitate to buy any device for a mobile tour unless it had the technology included. I’ve tested it and heard that it’s coming and if it hits a netbook soon (likely before UMPC style devices) I would seriously consider it…despite the extra weight of a netbook. 600gm extra weight to save 20-25% energy and to enable full-sun usage is a huge benefit. It also brings a bigger screen and keyboard for even more efficient working.

One of the most interesting 10” devices I’ve seen recently is the Viliv  S10 ‘Blade’. It’s a slick, SSD-based device built on the Menlow platform. It’s one of the lightest 10” devices at 1.2KG and it’s very slim. Once again it looks like Viliv have made it super efficient; the marketing claims up to 10hr battery life on a relatively small battery so I’m wondering…how about an S10 with a Pixel-Qi retro fit which could take it to 12hrs or more. For 1.2KG that’s a huge advantage and if there’s a way to charge a second battery separately, direct from solar power then we’re cooking with gas (as they say.) Oh, i forgot to mention that there’s a 3G and 2.0Ghz CPU option! I have a little worry about the convertible screen hinge but that’s the only potential issue right now.

Smartphones

One thing that has changed since 2007 is the smartphone. The capabilities of a high end smartphone are almost unrecognisable from those of 2006. Cameras, processing power, screens, keyboards, operating systems have all changed for the better and there is serious potential to be doing a lot of ‘microblogging’ work on a smartphone which would increase mobility and save battery life for full-on productivity sessions. I’m a big Google user and the choice of phone for me would be relatively simple. The Android operating system offers a fast, easy and efficient way to access my emails, docs, chats and maps and through the huge number of applications available in the Android market I would have no problem finding easy ways to keep people updated with my location and latest photos. The Motorola Milestone (Eu version of Droid) is clearly the best choice at the moment although the landscape is changing every two or three months here. I’d be looking for a phone with a keyboard, a superb camera and GPS and a large, easy-to-read rugged screen. (The Milestone uses Gorilla Glass) Battery life is of course important but at this level, the differences are unmeasurable based on technical specifications and the limited number of details reviews.

Summary.

I feel a plan coming together but I need to work on that PC solution. 1.2KG isn’t my ideal choice (600gm and a much smaller form factor – The Viliv S7 perhaps) would be better but if that new screen technology hits the ground, it’s a must-have. It just so happens that an S10 sample is coming my way soon (for testing on UMPCPortal) and I also happen to know that there are some 10” Pixel-Qi screen samples knocking about. I think it’s time to give Pixel-Qi a call to see if they want to help out with a new solar computing tour!

I’ve been testing it for the last week and as a standalone UMPC its a really flexible solution. SSD and 3G options, high quality build and very long battery life. In tests, I’ve been getting 5-6hrs battery life and seeing great productivity levels using either the on-screen keyboard or a USB keyboard and mouse. The best thing is that the car-kit includes an adaptor plug for 12v => 9.5 but the input voltage can rise to 24v making it perfect for attaching direct to a 24w or even 12W solar panel. One issue however is the gloss finish on the screen. Viliv are producing a filter though so this should help a lot. I will get one and test it soon.

Initial plug-in test worked but I need to work-out the minimum sun power level needed and the full-sun charging time.

Stay tuned for more test results. In the meantime, check out my full review at UMPCPortal.

This newly developed solar module makes effective use of compact semiconductor packaging technology to achieve a thickness of just 0.8 mm, the thinnest level in the industry. The solar cells that make up the module are based on polycrystalline silicon and deliver a maximum power of 300 mW*¹ , and as an auxiliary power source for mobile devices, will contribute to saving energy. In addition, the electrode pattern on the cell surface can be formed to meet the requirements of device manufacturers, leading to increased design flexibility for mobile devices.

We’re still at a very poor level of efficieny though. 11% efficiency by my reconing. It’s no wonder they didn’t put that statistic in the press release!

300mw is enough to keep a very basic mobile phone topped up while in standby.

Via

iUnika have announced a range of very low end, low-cost netbooks which include one with a solar-panel on the back. The price: $260.

• 700gm
• 8″, 800×480
• 400Mhz MIPS CPU

It’s eco friendly too “..the system body’s is made from bioplastics and other biodegradable materials derived from starch and cellulose” [source]

Here’s my take. Using a PC in the sun is hard work on the eyes and hard work on the battery as you need to pump up the backlight. The solar panel is also very small (I estimate 4W max output) so with a device that’s likely to be in the 3-4W operating power range, it’s at best, a trickle charger that can keep the device topped up when not in use. Putting panels on PC’s does a nice job of cutting out the losses you get when charging external power banks but they need to be detachable to get the best use out of them.

Still, bravo to iUnika for doing this. There are definitely some customers that would benefit from this. Education in hot countries with poor infrastructure comes immediately to mind.

Source: Gearlog

I checked this one out at CeBIT 2009 earlier this month and it looked very interesting. Tidy design too.

The problem is, as with many of these consumer devices, they dont even list the capacity of the cells which indicates that this one is more for the MP3 brigade rather than for UMPCs or MIDs. Shame.

Update: More pics including a shot of the specs, at Marcel Nuernberger’s Flickr page.

The charger is a Solio Classic with a 6wh capacity cell. The iPhone has a 5wh cell.

At first glance it seems like too much of a challenge. Looking at the solar cell area and comparing it to my own 25W panel which measures about 1m squared tells me that this device is going to have a tiny sun-capture capability. Looking at the FAQ on the device gives a few clues:

It takes 8-10 hours to fully charge a Solio from the sun. With peak charging times between 10am and 2pm, it takes a minimum of 2 days to fully charge a Solio.

8-10 hours for a 6Wh battery is under 1W of solar capture, under ideal conditions.

It’s winter in Philadelphia right now so I guess we’re looking at an average 60% sun-power through the peak hours which means it will take about 3 average days to charge the solar unit. Taking into account that about 20% power will be lost on cross-charging I’d estimate that Kevin is going to struggle to get a full charge every three days.

2.5G Smartphones like the first-gen iPhone that Kevin has, can easily take 2W of power when driven hard. So if Kevin isn’t careful. he’s going to be out of power in the first day but it looks like he’s done his research and is well on top of the challenge…

The strategies…let me go two days without charging my iPhone however, and that gives me two days to capture sunlight with the Solio. I guess if we have a three-day rainstorm, I’m out of luck.

The interesting part of the experiment will be to see what type of usage Kevin gets out of the device. Will it be voice only? Will he be able to use regular email polling as he’s planning. Will he use it as a mobile internet device or just as a voice phone?

It’s clear that this isn’t the best way to save energy given that the $75 Euro initial costs that could power an iPhone non-stop for about 40 years (*1) but these sort of experiments, this sort of publicity and the resulting discussion is exactly what’s needed to stimulate development and improvement of consumer solar solutions.

I don’t get many readers on this blog but from the responses I’ve had over the last year or so I know that many of the readers here will have already thought about this. Perhaps you’ve already done it? If so, what devices did you use and how did it / does it work out for you?

Track Kevin’s progress at JKOnTheRun.

(*1) Assuming the iPone takes a (very high) average drain of 1W, $75 would buy something in the order of 500kwh of household power. With an AC adaptor efficiency of 80%, the $75 over 45 years of iPhone usage.

What was 1KG and cost 1110 Euro one year ago is now less than half the weight, takes half the power and cost a lot lot less. Within 12 months, the price will be down to 50% of what it was a year ago bringing mobile computing to the masses. Take the Aigo MID (see info below) It’s a full Linux-based PC with keyboard and screen, storage, usb, a camera, wifi, bluetooth and will even be available soon with built-in 3G. Its just 350gm in weight and having looked in detail at test results and asked owners about the battery life, its clear that it’s running in less than 4W of power meaning you can last twice as long on the same amount of stored power or reduce the size of the (expensive) solar panel and power storage. A huge step forward.

Survival with the Smallest and Most Efficient.

Recently, I have been thinking more about short-term emergency supplies. I usually keep a stock of foodstuffs and water in my cellar along with a radio, small gas stove and a radio but I really think a mobile computer should be part of my survival kit, even if it’s just for day-to-day ‘emergencies.’ From being able to compute when your ISP has problems to being able to walk into the middle of a city without power or communications and instantly set up a WiFi hotsopt or Bluetooth hotspot with a simple, self-contained web-server offering emergency information. From being able to move away from an emergency area with your computer with scans of your important documents to being able to send an e-mail greeting to your mother when you forgot to send a card for her birthday (arguably one of the worst disaster scenarios possible!)

In times of disaster, you need to earn money too. As a pro-blogger (UMPCPortal) I would instantly lose 100% of my income if the Internet went down but by having an emergency Internet ’station’ I’d have a lot of possibilities. Can you imagine how much bartering power you would have if your were one of the only people left in your area with a working PC and a 3G connection that could send and receive emergency SMS messages from the cellular radio system!

In times of comfort and stability it sounds almost extreme to be thinking about such scenarios but in the western world, we live in a just-in-time economy. Like the weather, everything could change in 48hrs. Considering your electronic storage, communications and computing as part of your survival kit is is something many people will be doing and having the lightest and most efficient kit is obviously the best way to go. Thank goodness for Mobile Internet Devices!

Solar UMPC Tip of the moment: (click on the links for information from the UMPCPortal database)

Aigo P8860 - One of the first consumer-focused Mobile Internet Devices based on Intel’s Atom processor and Moblin, Linux-based operating system. Currently available by import. Average power drain (in-use) under 4W. 5V DC input. Micro-SD port. Wifi, Bluetooth and USB port about to take external peripherals. Also available in France as the Mi PC through the carrier SFR and expected to be launched under the Gigabyte brand soon as the M528.

Is anyone reading this considering a mobile PC as an essential item in their emergency kit? Is anyone even considering some form of fallback scenario?